In-store pick-up: Fast, efficient, friendly (mostly)

By Internet Retailer

Research from The E-Tailing Group shows that order online, pick up in the store works - most of the time.

As multi-channel retailers increasingly recognize the importance of in-store pick-up of online orders as part of a cross-channel shopping experience, they’re making improvements to the pick-up service but still facing challenges, Chicago-based consultants The E-Tailing Group says in a third-quarter 2006 study on in-store pickup, which is included in its report, “Expectations of the Cross-Channel Customer: Convenience and Control from Online to In-Store.” While 53% of retailers in the study let online shoppers check inventory at the store level, only 56% of ordered products were available for same-day pick-up because merchandise had to be first shipped from a warehouse. On the plus side, 71% of in-store pick-up counters are easy to find, and store employees on average find 68% of orders in less than a minute. The average wait time: 3.64 minutes. Here is some of what The E-Tailing Group found when it tested in-store pick-up.